The European Union has once again fallen under some strong scrutiny, following the decision to halt all air traffic to and from Northern Europe for five days due to volcanic ash spewing into the air from Iceland. Politicians, media and the general public are all speculating as to whether a full halt was necessary and calling into question the EU’s crisis response tactics.
Europe is known for faulty crisis management and this is just one of several instances where the region has come under fire. However, recently, it has been more than just their crisis response that has been called into question.
The European parliament pressed on with its month’s plenary session in Strasbourg, France on Monday despite the ongoing European travel crisis. They were met with anger and scrutiny. The EU is in the throes of a full fledged image crisis. The Greek and Belgian financial crises haven’t helped any.
So what should the EU do? Well, there is obviously no pill or quick fix for this, nor is there a clear path to take to image redemption. However, some basic do’s and don’t’s of image improvement:
- Admit when you’ve been wrong: People can identify with it and appreciate the honesty. But when you admit you were wrong, always couple it with a solution to the problem.
- Respond quickly to a crisis: People want to know that when bad things are happening, the government or company involved is aware and handling it. So don’t just respond quickly, let the public know you’re responding. Also, if you’re the first to respond, then you get to control the message. The worst thing you can do is let everyone else speak for you.
- Do some good PR for yourself: Instead of always taking a reactive approach to speaking with the media on an issue. Bring stories of your good works and positive news to the media. If you constantly remind people how great you are, they will remember that when something not-so-great happens.
What do you think? Does Europe have an image problem? What are your thoughts on how to fix it?
No related posts.
{ 0 comments… add one now }